Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Archives

Mariology

Marian Practices of Piety

by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

Our present conference is, again, on the Blessed Virgin in our lives and more
specifically on Marian practises of Piety. We have already said that devotion,
in this case to the Blessed Virgin, is a composite of veneration, imitation
and invocation. In our present conference, and I should add, in the next one
- we are having four conferences on Our Lady, I think that she deserves it -
in the present and in the next conference we are concentrating the third element
of devotion to the Mother of God, namely invocation.

We might make the obvious observation that prayers to the Blessed Virgin are
so typically Catholic as almost to identify Catholicism. The reason for that,
before we go into detail, is that we believe that the Mother of God was the
holiest human person who ever lived, keeping in mind that her Son is a divine
Person. We further believe that a person's influence with God, a person's power
of intercession with God, is in direct proportion to that person's sanctity.
Believing as we do that Mary, as the Mother of God, as full of grace, is the
holiest of human persons, inevitably Catholic piety from the very beginning
invoked Mary so that she in turn might intercede with her Son.

Father Gerald recommended especially the four following forms of piety, in
the sense of invocation of the Blessed Virgin. The first is the rosary; second,
the examination of conscience; third, sacrifices in honor of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. So far for the present conference.

First Piety - Rosary

We begin by asking ourselves, what is the rosary? In the devotional life of
the Catholic Church, the history of the rosary is shrouded in the early centuries,
in obscurity. We do know, however, that already in the first century Church,
it had become customary to recite the Divine Office and more specifically the
hundred and fifty Psalms. In time, as we also know, what we now call the Breviary
though originally - let us remind ourselves - originally, what we call the Divine
Office or the Breviary was already practised by the faithful laity. Only in
time did, what we now call the Divine Office become part of the monastic and
sacerdotal life, and indeed by the time of St. Benedict, the Divine Office as
the Opus Dei was the center around which the whole monastic life revolved.
The Opus Dei, the work of God. Those hundred and fifty Psalms, the total number
known - instead of the hundred and fifty Psalms we know historically, very early
in the Church, the lay people not reciting the Divine Office, in time what we
call the rosary - Father Gerald uses the expression - it came to be known as
the laymens' breviary, the hundred and fifty Psalms corresponding to the hundred
and fifty Hail Marys, on the complete rosary. It was as we know the Order of
Preachers, they did not inaugurate the rosary but under St. Dominic and his
followers, made the recitation of the rosary among the faithful the most powerful
way in which the Church can intercede through Mary to God, especially for protection
against errors, the heresies and the calamities that threaten the Catholic Church.
We speak of the rosary as so many invocations, and they are. We repeat the
Hail Mary. I think it is well to realize that the efficacy of the rosary, other
things being equal, depends upon the depth of the awareness and the realization
that we have when we not only recite the Hail Mary but try to be conscious and
aware, at least mentally, of the mystery on which we are reflecting. That is
why I strongly recommend following the directives of St. Ignatius that we take
time out - and retreat time is a good occasion to remind ourselves - that we
periodically take time out during the year and meditate at some length on the
specific vocal prayers that we recite in the rosary. Thus in order to obtain
the graces that God wants to give to us and to the world through Mary. We are
Christians and Catholics, and I say this with deep reverence, we are not Orientals,
Hindus or Buddhists. Christ Himself, remember, warned us not to just multiply
prayers which we are not aware of what we are saying. What is the dogmatic
content of the rosary? There is the Apostles Creed, the Our Father, there are
the Glorias and there are, especially, the Hail Marys. Father Gerald, if anything,
is lavish, extravagant, in his insistence on the daily recitation of the rosary,
first of all by priests so they in turn might encourage the faithful to recite
the rosary daily. However the degree of invocative power which voca1 prayers
have - and the rosary is not only, but also, a vocal prayer - the degree of
invocative power that vocal prayers have is in direct proportion to our awareness
in mind and heart of what we are saying when we are praying. It does not mean
of course that we have to be mentally conscious and even theologically reflective
on every word that we are saying when we are saying it. But this is why, and
I repeat, St. Ignatius wants us when we give the Spiritual Exercises to urge
the retreatants to periodically meditate on the meaning of their voca1 prayers.
On the first level of our reflection may I strongly recommend that you do and
even on a thoroughly regular basis, spend a half hour or an hour or more slowly
meditating on every significant word: Hail Mary - pause - what am I saying?
What do I mean? Then I apply what my mind has found in the meaning of the words
of the prayer to myself. The same with the Lord's prayer, the same with the
Apostles Creed, the same with the Gloria.

However - we are still on the rosary - the more vocal prayers are multiplied,
and we multiply the Hail Mary, fifty-three times three, if we recite the full
rosary every day. I will not ask, is this part of your rule to recite the full
rosary every day? The fifteen mysteries every day? I am so happy that I asked
the question. For just one more moment, may I urge you to periodically meditate
on the meaning of the vocal prayers you recite. This applies to the vocal prayers
of the rosary, the Memorare, the Regina Coeli during the Easter season, the
Salve Regina.

However, the rosary is also a series of meditations. You have the custom of
beginning each mystery with some reflection. May I suggest, whether it is a
Community custom or as an individual, I think the best way of insuring that
the decade of Hail Marys that will follow will not just be another repetition
but there will be meditation, is to pause. When I say to myself or in the company
of others, the first Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation, at least momentarily
reflect. The reflection can be in our imagination, our reflection can be in
our intellect or both. I believe the surest way of insuring that our rosaries
will be meditative is to introduce each decade, with at least a momentary pause;
picture to myself the scene, or place before my minds eye the mystery. The
Annunciation is the Incarnation. Then, depending upon the grace that God gives
to me, some people find it easier to just vocalize the words and concentrate
on the mystery. Some people, as I have just indicated, meditate for a moment
as the mystery is introduced and then reflect on what they are saying. But
I wish to emphasize the efficacy of our prayer first of all comes from the very
fact that we are praying. However, other things being equal, the more my mind
and my will are involved in what I am praying when I am praying the rosary,
the more graces for myself and others, Our Lady will obtain.

Second Piety - Examination of Conscience

Second Marian practice recommended by Father Gerald. In order to put into
practice our Marian piety - I must say when several years ago I came across
this among the typed scripts of Father Geralds conferences, I dont say that
I gulped but I thought to myself - well, Father Gerald, was not a Jesuit. St.
Ignatius made what we now call the examination of conscience one of the critical
essentials of the spiritual life. His biographers tell us that when our men
were sick in bed or bogged down with all kinds of responsibilities, Ignatius
might dispense his followers from other practices of piety but the examen of
conscience, never! Including Jesuits on their death bed. Good to know that
Ignatius himself, methodically, we are told, made the examen of conscience seven
times a day. He spared his followers; we are required to make it twice a day,
fifteen minutes each time. I want to tell you, I have been doing it over the
years. So the Rookies around me make no difference, I get my two examens of
fifteen minutes each day at Jemez Springs. What surprised me, however, and
I want to share this with you, what surprised me regarding Father Gerald's approach
to the examen of conscience is that he made it so unabashedly Marian. This
will be a long quotation with periodic pauses. Father Gerald begins with a
premise that:

The Mother of God, now gloriously assumed into heaven, is aware of our moral
conduct. Her eyes rest upon us day by day, hour by hour, for it is a mother's
privilege and duty to watch over her sons and daughters. And now from the high
heaven she watches over the world and in particular over the Christian world.

Father Gerald wouldnt
be here if he did not add and most especially are those who on earth by their
vocation are called to be other Christs.

The particular genius of Father Gerald relative to the examination of conscience
is that he saw it as an examination of conscience which is made with the full
awareness that not only Christ her Son but Mary, His Mother, has been watching
over us and that when we make the examination of conscience, we are aware of
His presence and hers. Again, the Marian focus:

For one who is willing to face the facts honestly, it would
make a very searching and penetrating examen of conscience, to ask himself,
Have I brought joy or sorrow or have I even made it necessary for the Mother
of God to turn her eyes from me this day?

I am dripping with theological lore, but I promised Mother
David Marie that this retreat will be on the spirituality of Father Gerald Fitzgerald.
I might have transmitted this part about the examination of conscience but I
know, said to myself, give it. What can we mean if we say as Father Gerald
asks; "Have I brought joy or sorrow, have I even made it necessary for
the Mother of God to turn her eyes from me this day?" Can Mary now be
sorrowful? Can Our Lady now be sad? Can the Blessed Virgin now experience
pain? I want to get to the bottom of this. You know what I am saying? Father
Gerald was a profoundly intelligent man. He knew his faith. My question.
Can we now cause Our Lady sorrow or pain? Is Mary gloriously assumed into heaven?
Does she behold the Face of God? Is Our Lady now in heaven perfectly happy?
Can Our Lady physically speaking, in her physica1 person now in heaven, experience
sorrow or pain?

However, and this is where I think that I am privileged to make some distinctions,
can we say that we contributed to Christ's sorrow and agony, we, now
to his sorrow, and agony in the first century in Palestine; did we? Can we
say that we contributed to Mary's sorrow? Yes, but as we touched on this before,
the insights of Father Gerald, I assure you, are profound. Is there a mystical
sense, really true, that Our Lady, no less then her Son, identifies herself
with the members of her Son's Mystical Body? Remember what Christ told Saul
on the way to Damascus. "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me"?
Is there a sense in which Our Lady as Mother of the Mystical Body is suffering
in the members of this Body which physically, is no longer capable of pain?
Yes! Only in heaven will we know or, better, on the last day, the day of final
judgement for the whole universe will it be revealed, on the one hand, the benefits
and blessings that the good actions that we have performed, the blessings and
benefits over the centuries that have come to perhaps untold - I don't hesitate
saying millions, and correspondingly, whatever we do which is against the Will
of God - hear it! - always has an impact on the whole world.

Back to the examination of conscience. There is no such thing as sinning in
isolation, consequently and I am going to go on with Father Gerald, there is
a deeply mystical sense in which both her Son and she are suffering and are
enduring pain, not in their own physical persons but in the Mystical personality
of all those whom Christ has identified with Himself. I will continue with
Father Gerald;

The examination of conscience is one of the standard practices of the spiritual
life. It is one of the ways for the soul who is truly in earnest to make any
progress - likes to check or check out that progress. If were runners we would
carefully check our time for our daily trial runs, so too, the spiritual person
who takes his life in earnest will check over his daily life in earnest, will
check over his daily life, his record, his score sheet.

I'm quoting, I like the work sheet. We were trained from the novitiate, to
never make an examination of conscience without putting something on paper.
My friends, it is more humiliating to look at something than to just think of
something. I go on. The eyes of Mary would make a very practical, very searching
way of making that check. Than Father Gerald goes through the sequence of,
especially, of a priests day and I now as a priest pass on his directives to
you, the sequence of your day, and he asks;

Was she happy over it? Did she see my distractions? Our Blessed Mother saw
my Mass - saw yours participating in it and mine saying it. Did it leave her
happy? And so on through the day. Oh how supremely well a person whether priests,
religious or lay believers would have to live to say honestly; I've held the
smile in Our Lady's eyes all day, over my soul.

Unquote Father Gerald.
Prosaic Father Hardon would not have written those words, but Father Hardon
appreciates them and believes that they have great meaning for all of us.

Third Piety - Sacrifices in Honor of Mary

One more Marian practice of piety. Sacrifices in honor of Mary. Just for
the record, the highest faculty, that we have as human beings, is our will enlightened
by the mind. The highest use to which we can place our free will is to pray.
The highest form of prayer is adoration of the Infinite God. And the highest
form of adoration is offering sacrifice to God. When Father Gerald speaks of
making sacrifices in honor of Mary, he means exactly what he says. We do not
offer sacrifices to Our Lady, frankly, we cannot. Only God may be adored and
only toward Him may we offer sacrifice. But that is not what Father Gerald
is talking about. We offer sacrifice indeed to Marys Son who is her God and
ours, but it helps immensely to offer these sacrifices to the Son of God in
honor of, after the example of, modeled after, inspired by, the Mother of God.
Having said what we did just a moment ago, having escalated our highest faculty,
the free will, the highest use of that free will in prayer, the highest form
of prayer being adoration, the highest form of adoration being sacrifice, I
have one question left. What is the highest form of sacrifice? Ah! Perfect.
On target. Mary is our perfect model. The highest form of sacrifice is the
surrender of our free will to the Will of God. That is where the verb, now consecrated
by centuries of usage, Our Lady simply declared; Be it done to me according
to Thy Word. What are we saying? We are saying that the Blessed Virgin by
her total submission to the Will of God, as occurred at the Annunciation, is
giving us the pattern and the way that we should offer sacrifice to her Son
who is God, but after the example of His Mother, who surrendered her will to
God. And because of her total sacrifice she was privileged to become the Mother
of God. Had it not been for Mary's submission to the Will of God at the Annunciation
- well, there might have been an Annunciation but there would not have been
an Incarnation. The Incarnation of the Son of God, we believe, was the consequence
of Mary's total sacrifice of her free will. To whom? To the God who made her.
To the God who invited her to become His Mother.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You want us to live Marian lives by the practice of devotion to
Your Mother, make us more aware than we have been, dear Lord, to not only Your
presence in our lives but hers too, so that following in Your footsteps under
her Motherly gaze, we may be protected from evil in this life and enter that
happiness reserved for those who have been faithful to Jesus and lived Marian
lives in this world. Amen.